1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible antenna apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof. In particular, this invention provides an antenna for wireless communication devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the development of wireless communication technology, wireless communication devices, such as Bluetooth systems, mobile phones etc are becoming more and more popular. Because customers desire wireless communication devices that are small, lightweight and have good reception many improvements for the antennas of wireless communication devices have been provided. The types of antennas for wireless communication devices can be divided into two sorts: a built-in type and an external type. The external type exposes the antenna to the outside of the housing of a wireless communication device. Because the wireless communication device has a protruding element, it is inconvenient for users to carry around. Alternatively, the built-in type installs a flat antenna in the housing of a wireless communication device to receive signals.
A built-in antenna of the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. The antenna includes a body 10 that is made of phosphor bronze. The body 10 has a plurality of positioning holes 12, a curved surface 14 that is pasted onto the housing of the mobile phone and a pin 16 for contacting the PCB of the mobile phone. When the antenna is pasted onto the housing of the wireless communication device, the positioning holes 12 are aligned to the positioning point of the housing and fix the built-in antenna onto the housing by a melting and pressing method.
The built-in antenna described above is produced through a stamping process. A mold is needed for the stamping process and the mold needs to be modified in order to make the antenna paste onto the curved-surface of the housing smoothly. It takes a long time to make the mold. The raw material for the antenna is only suitable for a single type of mobile phone, so there is the problem of surplus material that is wasted. The cost of the antenna is high due to the need of developing the mold. Furthermore, the manufacturing process is complex because the melting and pressing process needs to be added the production line of the wireless communication device.